What are the Rotterdam criteria for diagnosing PCOS?

• A. Oligo/anovulation, hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries on ultrasound; exclusion of other etiologies
• B. All three features
• C. Oligo/anovulation and hyperandrogenism only
• D. Hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound

Answer: (A)

Rotterdam criteria diagnose PCOS when a patient has at least two of the following: irregular ovulation (oligo/anovulation), signs or lab evidence of excess androgens (hyperandrogenism), and ultrasound evidence of polycystic ovaries, with other conditions that could mimic PCOS excluded.

This option is the best because it explicitly includes the three key features and the requirement to exclude other etiologies, capturing the full diagnostic framework. In practice, two of the three features are enough to diagnose PCOS, but stating all three features plus the exclusion criterion ensures the major components are represented and safeguards against alternative causes of androgen excess. The other choices miss a component, or demand all three without acknowledging the exclusion step, which is essential to ruling out other conditions.